by Griff Hosker
As the sky grew lighter so I made out white faces. Unlike us they had not tried to disguise themselves. Then I heard a shout form the road and Haraldr yelled, “Release!” The Saxons would have used the difficult light to get close to the archers. At the same time the Saxons ran towards us. They still had the bloody, stinking bodies, undergrowth and tree branches to negotiate. I saw that they had axemen who hacked through the branches. They could not try the same tactic with the bodies. They were slick and slippery with blood and gore. We stood behind them.
A horn sounded and we heard the clamour of men as they charged. The first Saxons who attempted to try to climb the bodies slipped backwards. Others, waiting behind, used them as steps to climb up on to the top of the bodies. Two men stood above me. They were tottering a little. The spears they held did not help their balance. I slashed Ragnar’s Spirit and struck the legs of two men. My sword had been well sharpened and I cut one of the legs in two and hit something vital in the other. They fell back and their blood added to the barrier. The two spears fell at my feet. I rammed my sword into a body and grabbed a spear. Normally used as a thrusting weapon the Saxons were so close that I was able to throw it and at a distance of three paces I could not miss. It struck a warrior and threw him back. I picked up the second and rammed that up into the body of the Saxon who had clambered on to the wall of dead. Others, who had tried to avoid the wall of logs and undergrowth had run into hidden spears and swords. I picked up my sword as more Saxons came, bravely, towards the ever-growing pile of dead.
I had a brief respite from attack and I looked up and down the line. Haaken still stood as did most of the other men on my side. One of Snorri’s men came running towards me, “Jarl Dragonheart, we are hard pressed.”
“I will come. Haaken, take charge. Galmr, Siggi Long Face, come with me.” I grabbed another spear from a fallen Saxon and ran the thirty or spaces to the southern barricade. Here the Saxons had begun to climb up the barricade. I saw that six of Snorri’s men lay dead. Six would be replaced by three. I hurled the spear at the Saxon who stood triumphantly at the top of the barricade and was preparing to jump down. It hit him squarely in the chest and he fell, knocking over another three who were trying to climb on the top. I did not stop but used the Saxon body before me to gain some height. I swung Ragnar’s Spirit at face height. One Saxon reared back and tumbled to the ground but the next warrior was not so quick and my sword tore across his cheek, into his nose and his eye. He fell back screaming. From my vantage point I could see Aclea. The three brothers were surrounded. They had no barricade and it was shield wall against shield wall.
Standing there I became a target for the Saxons. One threw a spear at me. Unlike the Saxon I had slain I had quick reactions. I flicked it away with my shield. I shouted, in Saxon, “I am Jarl Dragonheart of the Land of the Wolf! I have the sword which was touched by the gods! Fear me Saxons!” I lifted my head and howled.
I saw the Saxons before me recoil. It was not me they feared, it was the pagan in me. It was the fact that I had something which was magic. Saxons had only been Christians for a short time. Most warriors did not embrace Christianity easily. At heart they were still superstitious and they too believed in the power of a magic sword. The Saxons made good swords. Before they had become Christians, they had woven spells into them. I was the embodiment of a past they had lost.
Galmr shouted, “Enough, Jarl Dragonheart! We need you here in the line!”
He was right and I descended. However, my outburst had stalled the attack. I saw the Saxons regrouping. Priests began to chant their prayers.
I shouted, “Throw the bodies over the top.”
In twos, my men picked up the bodies and hurled them over the top. They would slow up an attack. Their hacked bodies would show what they could expect if they met us sword to sword. Snorri Haraldsson came up to me, “How long can we hold on, jarl?”
“As long as we have to. Have your men sharpen their swords. Pick up the Saxon weapons. These warriors wear no mail. We can hurt them. We can make them fear us and afraid to attack us. I know not how many men attack us but I think that more are fighting the brothers. We hold on until dark.”
I saw a thegn, dressed in mail, organising his men into a shield wall. I knew what was coming. They were going to demolish the barricade by charging it with the bodies.
“Jam these broken spears and discarded weapons into the barricade. Put them at head height. Then have the men ready to form a two-deep line.”
“You can see the future, jarl?”
“No, Snorri but I have fought for many years and I know that if you have superior numbers you use them. They will try to batter us down. I want men with mail in the front rank. Wait for my command!”
“Aye Jarl.”
I could see the priest blessing the hundred or so men who were about to attack us. I took out my whetstone and put an edge and a tip on Ragnar’s Spirit. I had just finished when I heard a roar and the Saxons ran at us. They were thirty men wide and three men deep. I shouted, “Shield wall!”
I stood and waited for them to form up around me. We were just eight paces from the barrier. Siggi Long Face and Galmr flanked me. We had just thirty-two men, a threttanessa crew. This would not be easy. “Lock shields.” Our shields touched. “When they break down the barrier their lines will become disorganized. The ones at the back will push hard. Step forward with me. Aim for the faces. We are better warriors and today we will prove it.”
There was a crash and a crack as they hit the barricade. Intermingled with it were the screams of men who had been rammed into the swords and spears we had left there. The barrier, which was not as substantial as the one at the northern end of the road collapsed.
“Now!”
We took three strides and the sprawling Saxons who had broken through and survived were now on their knees. Ragnar’s Spirit sliced into the skull of the first Saxon. As Galmr and Siggi killed the next two I raised my sword and, taking one more step, brought it down on the helmet of the next Saxon. I split his skull in two. I saw the third man in the line. He was slightly above me for he stood on the body of one who had been impaled by a spear. I broke my own rule and disobeyed my own orders. I left the line and rammed the sword up between his legs. He fell screaming. As I pulled out the sword I swung it backhand and it bit into the back of another in the second rank. One quick witted Saxon jabbed at me with his spear. It slid off my shield. He made the mistake of following through and I punched him in the face with the boss of my shield. I took one more step and felt Galmr and Siggi’s shields lock with mine.
The Saxon thegn shouted, “Reform! God is on our side!”
Just then an arrow flew over my head and struck the thegn in the throat. As he fell back I shouted, “Drive them back!” I brought my sword over from my right and swept it into the shoulder of the Saxon fighting Galmr. The Saxons still outnumbered us but they were leaderless. I had weakened their line in front of me and Galmr, Snorri and I began to advance into their line. When the three at the rear of their line fell, we turned to begin to attack the sides of the lines. The rout began. The Saxons turned. They had had enough. They trampled over their own dead and dying. They tumbled over the last of the barricades. We had defeated them. I looked up at the sun. It was barely past its zenith. We still had half a day to hold on. It would not be easy.
Seven of Snorri’s warband had died. We took their bodies and covered them with cloaks. I looked around and saw, at the northern barricade, Haraldr as he raised his Saami bow. I now knew who had made the kill. I raised Ragnar’s Spirit and shouted, “Your father is in Valhalla, Haraldr Leifsson and he is telling the Allfather that his son is a warrior!”
Some battles are over in the blink of an eye. One side breaks and flees. The other holds the field and robs the dead. This was different. We were an army trapped by a larger army. The King of Wessex was obviously not going to negotiate for he could just slaughter us all and then take our ships. Men cannot fight as we had done without a rest. Both
sides were so weary that the battle stopped. I had no idea what the Danes would do but I knew what we had to do.
“Half the men repair the defences! The other half eat, drink and sharpen your weapons. Ulfheonar, to me!”
I saw that even Olaf Leather Neck, the warrior who never tired showed the effects of the battle. His axe was nicked. His helmet was dented and his mail had been cut. He took off the helmet, looked at it and said, “These Saxons die hard!”
I nodded, “They will break through when next they attack and they could do that at any point. I will see Haraldr in a moment. Those defences appear to be holding.”
“He has done well.” Haaken pointed south. “How goes it there?”
“Bloody! It is shield to shield. We can do nothing about the brothers. The web is spun and we must follow the path the Sisters have chosen for us. We have half a day to survive and then we risk a break out. I do not think that all of us will survive but so long as some get home then this tale will be told. Be ready to fall back to the ditch. I leave the judgement to you two. We may have to make our perimeter smaller.” They nodded. “I want three warriors from each of you. I want good men with swords.”
Haaken cocked an eye at me, “You do not intend to go out into the woods, do you? That would be fatal. You are tired.”
“No, Haaken One Eye, the opposite. I intend to have ten men with me. When they break through I will take my ten men and we will eliminate the threat.”
The both seemed satisfied. “Good for I have more than enough stories for a thousand voyages. We could sail to the edge of the world and I would still have tales to tell.”
I went to Snorri, “I need two men from here. I am going to have a reserve to meet any Saxons who break through.”
He nodded, “And they will break through. That is clear. I find it hard to believe why we still stand here. They are the grains of sand on the beach. There are too many to count. The last ones to attack had not fought us before.” He held up a sword. It was a short one and poorly made but it had no marks upon it. “This sword fell from one of the first to attack. It is unused.”
“And that gives me hope for they will be running out of warriors who have yet to face us. We have a short time to hold on. Eat, drink and sharpen weapons. We are stronger than the Saxons. When I give the command then fall back and we will make a last stand near our dead. I hope it does not come to that but it may do.”
I headed up to the northern barricade. I noticed that those men who had drunk and had eaten now went to relieve their brothers who were repairing the damage done to the defences. Bodies were being removed. I saw that Haraldr had not lost any men. He handed me some cheese and a piece of ham.
“Where did you get these?”
“When we checked the bodies of those just on the other side I found them on a warrior.”
“You went amongst them?”
He shrugged, “We needed the arrows. We found twenty we could use again. That gives us three each left to use.”
I chewed on the ham and pointed south, “That was an arrow which turned the tide. I thank you.”
He handed me his ale skin and I drank. “They had retired here and when I looked around to see how you fared he seemed an inviting target.”
The ale was needed more than the ham. I was tempted to drink more but I knew we would need it during our escape. “I need four of your men. You have lost the least. I need men who are good with swords.”
“That would be me then!”
“No Haraldr, you have shown to me that you can be a rock. You must hold here. Once you run out of arrows then these men will need someone to lead them.”
“Thank you for your faith in me.”
“You have earned it. If the rest have to fall back I want you and your men to hold this barricade. It is our most solid defence. When I command the rest to fall back you hold.”
“Yes, Jarl Dragonheart.”
I went back to the centre. The bodies of our dead lay there. I had a plan to have them serve us still. Looking around I saw that we had just over one hundred men who were unwounded. Six or seven had wounds and would slow us down when we left. The Saxons had lost more men. I had examined the bodies as I had walked around. Few had been the warriors. We had faced the fyrd. Their King would have used his better warriors against the greater number: the Danes. I took out my whetstone and began to sharpen my sword, dagger and seax. Ragnar’s Spirit looked the worse for wear. It took me some time to return the edge and the tip. During that time my men arrived. As I sharpened I spoke with them. “You have all eaten, drunk and sharpened your weapons?” They nodded. “Good, then we are going to be the last resort. You will stay by me. We will be a wedge which charges whoever breaks through. If the dam bursts then we plug it. We kill the Saxons and then come back here to our dead. Their spirits will help us this day. Form yourselves up.”
I sheathed my weapons and examined my shield and helmet. My helmet had a couple of scratches and dents but I had been lucky. I had avoided any serious blows. My shield, however, showed damage. The leather cover was ripped and torn. My wolf looked a little worse for wear. The shield would still work but edged weapons could now begin to chip away at the wood.
I heard a shout from Olaf, “They come!”
I shouted, “We are Vikings and we are brothers this day! I am not yet ready to go to Valhalla! Let us send these followers of the White Christ to their lamb in the sky! Odin!”
My men all began banging their shields and chanting, “Odin!” We were not yet beaten.
I felt the two shields of the men behind me as the wedge formed up. I had seen a pattern to the Saxon attack. The Saxon king was using his thegns to lead the men who worked his land to attack us. That explained why some attacks had been more successful than others. The last thegn who had attacked, the one killed by Haraldr, had had better armed men and that was why he had almost succeeded. We had defences which had been repaired but they were still slightly weaker than they had been. The bodies of the dead Saxons were still the greatest barrier.
It was hard to just stand and watch the men I led fight and die while we waited. It was not my way. The first attack was beaten off without us having to move but I saw method in the attack. The Saxons did not try to scale the barricades, they pulled at them. Without arrows and with few spears we could not hurt them as much. We killed but a few Saxons. The thegns had been given clear orders for after they had lost one or two they withdrew and the next band attacked the defences. The weak points would be the woods.
It was on Haaken’s side that they broke through. Erik Cold Blade fell. Two of his oathsworn went to his aid and they were slain too. Haaken did not have enough men to hold them. I raised my sword and led my wedge. The thegn and the eight men who had broken through thought they had won the battle for their king. With my shield before me we charged into them. The thegn saw us and shouted, “Shield wall!” It was a lifetime too late. We were running. I had ten men behind me. I rammed my sword into the open mouth of the thegn. I tore it out of the side of his skull. Behind me my men hacked and chopped the Saxons. We kept moving. Erik and two of his men had fallen in the ditch. I used their bodies as a bridge and entered the wood.
The wedge I had formed was now broken. The Saxons had broken down the defences we had made. A fresh thegn, emboldened by the success of the first led his men towards me. I blocked his sword on my shield and, spinning around, brought Ragnar’s Spirit into his back. One of the fyrd lunged at me with his spear. Bagsecg’s mail saved me as the poorly made head slid along the oiled links. My sword took his head. The death of the thegn and the sudden appearance of my wedge made the fyrd fall back. I shouted, “Wedge withdraw!”
Our attack had allowed Haaken to reorganise his men. As I passed I said, “Withdraw to the ditch. We shrink the area we have to defend!”
“Aye jarl. Erik died well. I liked him.”
I turned to my men when we reached the cloaked dead. “Fetch the three dead and lay them here.”
“Aye Jarl
Dragonheart.” Two of Erik Cold Blade’s men went to collect the bodies.
My men had all survived unscathed. I saw that one had no mail. I said, “Lars Snorrison, go and strip the mail from the dead thegn. It is yours!”
He grinned, “Aye, jarl. I felt naked amongst the rest of you!”
One of his shield brothers said, “Perhaps you ought to try that Lars. When they see what passes for your manhood they would die laughing!”
The banter was a healthy sign. We might be outnumbered and we might have to bury dead but we had yet to be defeated. The Saxons had been soundly beaten in every attack. Those yet to be sent into the fray had seen warriors leave full of the joy of battle and then the remnants returned defeated.
I saw that the Saxons were about to launch attacks at the two barricades once more. Lars managed to squeeze into the mail just as an attack began at the southern barricade. This time they tore the remnants down. I shouted, “Snorri, fall back and form a shield wall. “
“Aye Jarl.”
“Olaf, fall back to the ditch!”
“Aye jarl.” We would be closer together and better able to defend each other. If we had to then we could move all the way back to Haraldr and the carts. That would be our last stand. Our sudden move took the Saxons by surprise. Some of those at the front thought we had routed and came charging after our men. Vikings do not like to retreat. I saw Snorri Haraldsson and his men butcher the twelve men of Wessex who foolishly approached too close. To my left Olaf Leather Neck waited until all of his men were across before he sauntered back. For two of the Saxons it was too much and they hurled themselves at his seemingly unprotected back.
Fótr Firebeard shouted out a warning but it was unnecessary. Olaf knew what he was doing. He took one stride across the ditch and then, without even looking, began to swing his axe two handed. It hacked into the side of one of the men and, as he fell to the ground Olaf twisted it from the man’s body and brought it up to smash into the skull of the second. Then he stepped back over the ditch and joined the men he led.